Messages

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1

General / Re: John Shaw ban criteria

« on: September 30, 2011, 12:31:18 AM »

CATS OR DEATH!!!
(Grab the popcorn and enjoy!)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDe2Mgh25Wc[/youtube]

2

General / Re: So about Chartarum

« on: September 30, 2011, 12:22:01 AM »

Congratulations on everything you've done so far. If nothing else, I hope everyone had fun and/or learned something about the process. Just getting out there and doing it is part of the tuition of film making. XD

3

The Show / Re: The Music Hell Paradox

« on: September 29, 2011, 12:11:47 PM »

Complacency, complacency, complacency.

Finding art you enjoy requires effort. Perhaps you are not searching hard enough? When you do get there, appreciate what you've got. Support that artist.

A radio station that rotates in heavy doses of auditory vomit for 'the masses' is clearly not 'righteous'. Not so sure about your analogy, but...

Beautiful birds sing from telegraph poles
Devil's song fills the whole sky
- Beautiful South

Every generation hates the music that came after they grew up. That's the way it's done.

Yep. That's how it usually goes. Expectations, tastes, maturing, evolving. But if you can appreciate music of the past you are more likely to keep an open mind on future music.

4

General / Re: The Withering Away of the State

« on: September 02, 2011, 10:27:38 AM »

Being unincorporated is the way to go.. but to reinforce what janitor is saying, not being a nosy neighbor or authoritarian is only one sort of virtue: Imprudence towards concerns of security and safety is a serious error in judgment. Getting people to pay for public anything is a pain in the ass.

You essentially have to approach the issue with a consistent mindset of undoing all the bullshit that the state created. This includes, particularly, zoning issues and associated 'public' infrastructure.  Of course this ISN'T EASY. Don't be fooled into thinking it will be if your community is full of irresponsible people.

One of the main issues is proximity to roads and utilities in order to maintain them in a cost effective manner. A more libertarian society should utilize resources in a more efficient manner. In new england (VT, NH) you have long winding roads with a lower average population. Savings on infrastructure requires living closer together, but that doesn't mean you need to give up quality in exchange. A handful of private associations would probably be the response to cover issues of security and road maintenance/snow clearing. The competition of associations would determine viable population densities to maximize the desires of residents.

5

General / Re: Freedomain Radio is basically a cult.

« on: September 02, 2011, 10:04:45 AM »

I know I'm a finite and fallible human being who doesn't have a monopoly on truth.

This. Why do non parents give so much advice to parents? What do you have to gain? Parents at best just nod politely to your clueless advice and at worst make fun of you.

Even when people think they are right and have the soundness of the NAP backing up their positions, it helps to understand that even the libertarian ideology serves a limited purpose, mainly that of providing an individual with an ethical code. In an imperfect world of fallible people, there will be 'imperfect' actions, and people should be free to find (market) solutions in their lives with as much accordance towards the philosophy of liberty as possible. In not advocating a specific form of active governance of human action, temperance is the implied virtue of a wise individual seeking harmony.

Just because someone does not have any children doesn't mean they would be a bad parent, or a poor advice giver. BTW, why would someone with a genuine concern for the welfare of a child be dissuaded by ridicule from parents? Granted, it could be an ineffective communication exchange, but it does not imply fault one way or the other.

To simplify the argument: Some people are over-zealous in spreading their opinions. Temperance is a virtue, but only one virtue. Parents do not have absolute control of their children as they grow into individuals, ethically or realistically.

6

General / Re: Last movie you've watched

« on: September 01, 2011, 07:00:10 PM »

I saw Heartless. I recommend it. Maybe watch it around Halloween?

I don't recommend watching the trailer for it. Be pleasantly surprised for once in your life.

7

General / Re: What Video Games Are You Currently playing?

« on: September 01, 2011, 05:03:31 PM »

Peppermint Pig: I played GT5 for a while back when it came out.  I haven't had time to play recently though, and when I tried the other night, I had to download a 130MB patch first.  Oh well.  I agree, though.  It's a great racing sim game...and Mazdas are always fun to drive

Next time you're in the mood to play please get in touch. Would appreciate a friend request.

I'm mostly between Persona 3 and Red Dead Redemption (staying in practice) at the moment, but squeezing in an hour or three of GT5 usually on the weekends.

8

General / Re: What Video Games Are You Currently playing?

« on: August 31, 2011, 02:33:19 PM »

Persona 3 FES (PS2)
Never played a persona game before. Tartarus is a little repetitive, but perhaps that's because I'm used to grinding a bit. Learning how to better craft Personas. A decent story. IMO, Atlus games are the standard by which RPG storylines should be judged, starting with Kartia/Rebus. I purchased a sealed copy of Persona 4 from ebay and I'm looking forward to that. Persona 5 will probably be released by the time I'm done with 4.

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Published by the same people who made Ico. I hear they're going to be releasing a PS3 version of these games. While the graphics are dated, the sense of atmosphere isn't half bad and the battles are fun... except for the sand worm boss. Such a pain in the butt! I might not ever finish it.

Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
Yes, I'm still playing this game. They have free DLC coming soon! I've made a name for myself on there, and the infamy of some of the players who like to grief and cheat.. Vigilance_Pep is my current username. Vigilance is my libertarian/agorist gaming clan. Let's hook up and find some common PS3 games to promote NAP ethics on(where applicable without ruining enjoyment of game)!

Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)
Thoroughly enjoyable racing sim.  I like tuning, learning and racing with any vehicle, though I really enjoy the Mazdas. Any of you playing?

My bro is playing Minecraft and he just got back into GTAIV.

9

The Show / Re: Activism for it's own sake is silly.

« on: August 30, 2011, 12:25:10 PM »

Activism for the sake of activism? I disagree with this characterization. Maybe you disagree with the approach?

Individuals thrive on positive reinforcement and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Tearing people down when they believe they are living up to their ideals through activism or civil disobedience does not communicate your issue much less your SOLUTION.

10

The Show / Re: Right on, Ian.

« on: August 30, 2011, 12:16:19 PM »

In all circumstances, I think the point is to 'do something' if you think there is a problem. IF you believe in political solutions, then 'do something' in that venue. Ian has argued, from his personal experiences, that you might get burnt out doing the political thing as a means of changing the system. In the role of Radio Host, it helps to find out if a caller has a solution or is taking an action if they consider something to be a problem. Mark and Ian each have their own ways of walking a disagreeable caller through potential factors contributing to incidents of violence, which highlights their point about systemic problems and eventually sinks in on listeners. Ian just so happens to be more iconoclastic and ready to offend sensibilities than Mark. I think there is a time and place to do so.

The libertarian ethos includes the pursuit of more liberty no matter the present conditions, but to do so in consideration of the reality and not indifferent towards it. It is definitely a challenge to translate one's ideals into a message that most people will accept if you cannot find some common principles. I think it helps that you actively hint to your audience that you are engaged in the use of persuasion over force and that it is acceptable to disagree without resorting to violence. It takes experience to develop the skills and tactics to diffuse hostility and get people to appreciate where you're coming from....

Especially for civil disobedience and defending the actions of individuals who oppose unjust laws: Maintain a dialog to disambiguate the whole 'freedom activist' vs 'martyr' confusion. The people who commit to civil disobedience make a calculated risk for the ultimate goal of more individual liberty: Martyrs or people broken by the system tend to elect for extremes of violent response or violent outcome to a violent system and tend to act out of desperation as opposed to looking to the future.

11

The Show / Re: Loving more of Mark.

« on: August 30, 2011, 11:21:34 AM »

I've noticed that people holding specific political views frequently refer to theirs as "rational" and others' as "irrational."  I've come to like Penn Jillette's way of addressing differences in points of view.  "I've got this [insert self-affacing word] way of looking at it: [then out comes the libertarian gospel]."

notice->noticed

Or the Bullshit method:

Yes, I think I understand and basically agree with your point.  However, "this asshole" generally refers to a con artist or dedicated fascist, not merely someone with an opposing point of view.  Nevertheless, apparently like you, I cringe a little bit at that show's deliberate crudeness.  While you're surely correct to point it out, I had been thinking of Penn's radio show, on which he was more persuasive than critical.

Agreed. Of course they're thinking about what they say before they say it. In a scripted show, they can calculate their responses for entertainment purposes and come up with some very cringe-worthy moments, but in all instances they appear mindful about factual accuracy, credibility, and consideration of their statements and the people who are listening.

12

The Show / Re: dollar plunging against gold

« on: August 30, 2011, 11:15:46 AM »

They should give the current price of gold and silver on the show, to alert people about how much the dollar is plunging.

If they really cared, they'd look it up, but announcing it on the show would help people who didn't care enough to check. Right now it's at 1823 USD per troy ounce. The dollar has lost over 98 percent of the value it had when Nixon closed the gold window at 35 USD per troy ounce.

I've read recently that it lost around 75% since Nixon, and 98% since the Fed was created in 1913. Whichever version is right doesn't really matter.

A year ago I bought the GLD and SLV exchange-traded funds, and also a fund of gold mining stocks within my IRA. They have done well, obviously. It's a lot of money, but only 10% of my total portfolio so even if they drop in half it won't change my life any.

Last week, for the first time, I bought a 1/10 oz. gold coin and two one-ounce bars of silver. They're kinda cool to have, and I plan to buy more.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo30.html

You basically have to go back to the beginning of the greenback and Lincoln's effort to avoid paying debts in order to see the first instances of the USD's inflation. I recall reading somewhere that the USD inflated/lost value by 70 percent in the first few years. But there was rapid deflation used and 30% reported unemployment in the stagnant post war economy.

When people discuss inflation from the 1913 'dollar', I'm not sure it is addressing prior devaluation of the USD measured against gold. Maybe people simply prefer calculating the loss of value from the point that the Federal Reserve gained control of the currency. Technically the FRN is a counterfeit of the USD, but both are fiat... Unless the laws concerning legal tender were changed, then Legal Tender applies only to the USD and not the FRN.

SLV will never be as good as holding physical silver. It's a form of long term savings. While the value of SLV will jump around whenever JPM decides to cull the market of shorted silver and will crash hard (in your lifetime), the value of actual silver will ultimately appreciate according to the market demand, which will be indicated through physical scarcity as is hinted currently. Even sellers of physical silver presently have the sense to ration their product availability according to SLV market rates.

13

The Show / Re: Loving more of Mark.

« on: August 30, 2011, 10:31:52 AM »

I've noticed that people holding specific political views frequently refer to theirs as "rational" and others' as "irrational."  I've come to like Penn Jillette's way of addressing differences in points of view.  "I've got this [insert self-affacing word] way of looking at it: [then out comes the libertarian gospel]."

notice->noticed

Or the Bullshit method:

14

The Rubber Room - Not Safe for Work / Re: FTL mention and comments from hardcore history forum

« on: January 04, 2011, 01:25:28 PM »

I read the comments on the thread at the Hardcore History forum.

Seems like several of the resident posters were trying to find every reason to explain how freedom is fundamentally flawed because they couldn't think up a solution to a pet issue which didn't rely on the violence to get what they wanted. They used the status quo of state violence as a crutch for their lack of ethical reasoning and as a justification for accusing Ian of being an 'idealist'.

Ideals are the compass by which people try to find ethical/moral direction and satisfaction. Holding ideals does not imply that one is out of touch with 'reality'. In fact, the better your ideals, the better your understanding of the world you live in and how to move in such a direction that your ideals are more likely to be realized. Believing you can force others to do what you want to achieve an ideal is fantasy (socialism, communism, involuntary democracy). It's intellectual sloth and tyranny to obligate others to your own ideals.


One issue in particular which came up was zoning... as if people couldn't figure out how to conveniently structure their property on their own without being dictated to by a panel of bureaucrats who have no financial stake in the matter. Moral hazard ring any bells? The economization and compartmentalization of human interests and industry is a natural activity of civilization and markets.

To turn the question around, who should have the authority to tell you how to use your own property without consent? If you can't answer this one without arbitrary claims of authority to politicians and bureaucrats, then the next question, however secondary to the heart of the issue, can be asked: How and why is your particular solution for the organization of people and their assets validated as being the most satisfactory/economical/ideal to the individuals you would involve? Are you therefore claiming that your ideals are more important than the ideals of other individuals? Again, why do you have the authority to justify your values be forced on someone else?

Why is the initiation of force viable in any situation?

It's only difficult to answer if you assume others know better how a society should function, and your profession of uncertainty leads you to unquestionably yield at every instance an authority would command you to. It's easy to be ruled by fear that way.

15

General / Re: Brother stole $1500 from me. Then got mugged later that night.

« on: December 12, 2010, 10:58:03 AM »

How about convert some of your savings into silver? He'll have a harder time stealing and using it if he ever does that again, plus your savings will grow.